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War has its cost, and the Servants of the Bright Heart and the Servants of the Dark Heart have been locked in a struggle that has defined life--and death--for millennia. But the end is coming, and only the Lady who has served the Bright Heart for the whole of her immortal life has seen it, in a vision that spans time and demands the highest of prices.

Erin is a healer, and against the nature of her birthright she has learned to wield a sword and use it to bring death to the enemies of her people. Scarred by the losses that war always demands, she is the chosen champion of Light and the enemy of darkness.

But no magical sword or simple quest awaits Erin. Her journey and her doom lie in the Dark Heart's stronghold, and in the hands of her people's greatest enemy.

Continuing the struggle she began in Into the Dark Lands, Erin--newly dubbed Sara--is forcefully put to sleep for 300 years while her Lord finishes overtaking his enemies--and Sara's kinsmen.

After conquering and slaughtering the last of the Bright Heart lines, he awakens an amnesia-ridden Sara and assigns one of his slaves, a fellow "child of the blood," to comfort her. As Sara's memory slowly returns and her rage intensifies, the Servants of the Dark Heart and the Dark Heart itself become increasingly dangerous to both her and her caretaker.

The harrowing tale of Erin of Elliath, warrior and healer, continues in this episode of the battle between good and evil. When Erin rejects her position as Lady Sara, wife to the First Servant of the Dark Heart, she escapes from her husband's realm with the help of Darin, the Patriarch of Culverne and the last of his line. After combining forces with the deposed prince of Marantine and a mysterious old man?who has magic skills that neither Erin or Darin can identify?the foursome hatch a plan to wrestle control of the usurped kingdom of Marantine away from the priests of the Dark Heart. Meanwhile, Erin continues to struggle with her part in the betrayal of her people, the deaths of her most beloved friends, as well as her feelings for the man who doomed them for her sake.

After a fierce battle, Erin of Elliath and her comrades have brought hope back to the Servants of the Bright Heart. The throne of Marantine has been reclaimed, and a new king rules the last remnants of Lernan's people.

Within the lands of the Dark Empire, however, the power of the Bright Heart grows dim. The last stronghold of the Light, the well of Lernan's power, is quickly draining in the shadow of the inexorable forces of Darkness. The High Priests compete for supremacy, and even the nobility of the Dark Empire has begun to feel the burden of their never-ending war. The First of the Sundered, Lord Stefanos, has returned, once again walking the night and devouring the innocent in mourning for his lost beloved--Lady Sara, Erin of Elliath.

Erin is determined to free the Light and release her long-dead friends from the purgatory of the Dark Heart. She must once more journey into the heart of the Dark Lands to confront the legacy of Lady Sara and the inevitable destiny of the lines, forcing her toward a final confrontation with her most formidable and ancient enemy--the man she loves.